


there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths

by TheBizarreKaar



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Past Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26186956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBizarreKaar/pseuds/TheBizarreKaar
Summary: Naruto is cursed to start over his life when he ends up on the wrong side of a young ninja's spite. He ends up returning into his 12 year old self but with the skills and memories of his Hokage self. He knows the path he has already taken. Has settled into that life like an old coat. When he has a chance to walk a different road, it excites and terrifies him at the same time. This new life is completely different.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths

Naruto is cursed to start over his life when he ends up on the wrong side of a young ninja's spite. He ends up returning into his 12 year old self but with the skills and memories of his Hokage self. He knows the path he has already taken. Has settled into that life like an old coat. When he has a chance to walk a different road, it excites and terrifies him at the same time. This new life is completely different.

Everyone seems to wonder what happened to the loser, demon brat, who was known as the deadlast for several years. Questioning why he isn't screaming his unrealistic goal of hokage or not wearing that disgustingly bright orange junpsuit, no matter how endearing he finds it. He still likes orange just much less so than he'd normally wear. Switching to the standard black shinobi pants and a similar mesh shirt he wore in his late teenage years. He keeps the jacket for nostalgia's sake. He's darkly reminded of a now non-existent battle between light and darkness. The jacket still feels too new, the one he favors had faded over time, and became moth bitten and shredded. It wasn't the state it was in that he liked. It was the sentiment behind the story it told. Of a brave boy against the odds.  
_____

It was on an early autumn evening, and if Naruto had paid close attention to the calendar, he would've known his birthday was fast approaching. It would be midnight and he'd turn 30 or something like that. He never really kept count though. He had finished earlier than usual, and had quite the pep in his step. His sunshine demeanor drawing any villager to greet him on his walk back to his family home.

He smiled at the academy students playing in the streets, at the mothers who scolded them for almost running into him. He would tell them it was fine, barely a scratch and then give the little ninja-to-be some courageous wisdom. _Shinobi are the ones who endure._ Awe lit up their faces and he knew he was proud of the way he had rebuilt Konoha to be fearless and brave.

It was much later after that encounter when he noticed a stall he'd never seen before. Finding it strange, he cautiously approached it and found a little girl sitting there playing with a temari ball. She had short icy white hair and pale eyes and he could've sworn he saw the flicker of recognition in her eyes but the moment was fleeting. "Hello mister? Do you want to hear your fortune?" Her voice was quiet, and soft until she huffed and puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "Ahh? Fortune...? No sorry I don't believe in that sort of thing. Anyways...where are your parents? It's getting late, don't you think you should be heading home soon?"

The girl glared at him and jumped down from her seat behind the stall. "I am old enough to do stuff alone! I don't need you grown ups telling me what to do!" And now that nothing was blocking his view...he held back a chuckle as he took in her small stature. She barely came up to his waist. "O-oh...independent are we? I remember being like that once upon a time. But seriously though it's dangerous for kids like you to be out playing past curfew. Point me in the direction of your home and I'll escort you there myself." And to give her parents a good earful. Good lord...he was taking after Iruka-sensei.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he earned a sharp kick to the shin. While he barely felt it, it had distracted him enough that he lost sight of the girl. He looked down the street to barely catch a glimpse of her rounding the corner. Well, so much for heading hime early...dinner would have to wait. He sent a clone in his stead and chased after the girl.

She meandered through the streets like a phantom, quick and nimble on her feet, feline and graceful. He didn't want to use his chakra for something as minor as a miscreant child. Though he could feel himself falling in step with her either way giving her quite the spook. "Kuh...Go away!" She spun on her heels and jumped for the roof tops and Naruto predicted her goal was to aim for either the surrounding forest or the training grounds.

He summoned a couple clones and sent them ahead where he thought he could intercede her and grit his teeth when he saw her out of the corner of his eye, heading in the conplete opposite direction. She was going to the mountain top. How was it that a mere child could scramble him around like this? He sighed and followed in pursuit, quickly gaining distance with his long stride.

He hadn't wanted to but yet he still pulsed some chakra to the soles of his feet to sprint the last few yards. He stood, like a wall waiting for the girl to notice him, his arms crossed in fury at the complete disregard of his authority. She had her head turned to watch his clones futively waiting in ambush, but failed to watch ahead of her at the doom she was approaching. Until she crashed straight into his solid frame. Her eyes looked up in shock, an quick hint of fear pervaded her expression but it was schooled back into a scowl.

He remained silent, letting out a hint of killing intent mixed with Kurama's chakra to remind her who she was dealing with. Most genin and chunin would soil themselves or attempt to take their own lives at just a shred of it. Yet this girl held her rebellious stance, undisturbed. "What? Am I supposed to cower now that you caught me? What is that smell anyways? It smells like...!" Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she jerked backwards. Naruto stared at her with perplexion and jolted forward to grab her firmly by the arm, she wasn't going to run away again anytime soon.

"Nnn let me go you...you...imposter!" She screamed and yanked at her arm in weak attempts. She kicked and pulled but couldn't break free from his grasp. She stopped abruptly when his face filled her vision. "Are you done? Good. Why don't you start explaining yourself to me? We can stand here all night if we have to." She bit her lip harsly like she wanted to stop herself from say something. Before he could urge her further he was startled by a voice approaching them from below.

"Lord Seventh! Has the situation been handled? Or do we need to send reinforcements?" He recognized the voice as Sai, his voice getting louder as he approached them. Naruto was about to say he had everything under control but before he could the young ninja struck out with a fist covered in dense chakra sending Naruto flying off the jutting spike of Naruto's carved hair they were precariously balanced on. "I don't know how you have my ancestor's chakra inside of you but I'm taking it back!" She growled, her cropped white hair whipping around her face fiercely. Naruto summoned a clone to throw himself out of the path of something striking through the air.

She grit her teeth but paid it no mind as she continued her attacks, Naruto successfully dodging each slice in the sky. "How are doing that! Nobody has ever seen let alone evade my justu before!" She shouted in frustration. Naruto quickly summoned forth Kurama's cloak, the farce had gone on long enough. He nodded at Sai and the ANBU that had appeared and they moved in for a pincer attack.

She went down like a sack of rice, falling headfirst into the mountain below. Her body draped over the Rokudaime's stone head, her hair a beacon from thw reflection of the rising moon. He picked her unconscious body up from the ground and lead the other to T&I. Even a child could be seen as a threat, and Naruto had burning questions in the back of his mind.


End file.
